Actual artifact
The game-used ball from Game 5 of the 1991 NBA Finals.
GAME 5 BALL LIVE
The championship moment, brought back to life.
The actual game-used ball from Chicago’s first championship now anchors an AI-led, playable event experience. BALL welcomes the room. Don’t Drop the Ball on Fortnite crowns the champion. MemeBall opens mobile participation.
For brands, agencies and private programsRequest an Activation BriefLive AI demonstrationExperience BALL
See how it works01History02Intelligence03Competition
The BALL FoundationGame 5 Ball
The origin
One real moment. A new live experience.
On June 12, 1991, Chicago defeated Los Angeles in Game 5 of the NBA Finals to win its first championship. Scottie Pippen held the game ball at the final buzzer and preserved it for more than three decades. Today, that actual game-used artifact anchors GAME 5 BALL LIVE.
The physical ball remains protected. Its documented story, digital twin, and authorized character now move through artificial intelligence, games, live competition, media, and cultural experiences.
Direct custody
Preserved by Scottie Pippen for more than three decades.
Living platform
A protected artifact whose story now powers AI, gaming, media, and live experiences.
One championship story. Three premium experience layers.
01 · BALL welcomes the room.
02 · Don’t Drop the Ball crowns the champion.
03 · MemeBall opens mobile participation.
01 · Live AI hostBALLOpen the full AI experience
02 · Flagship Fortnite championshipDon’t Drop the BallEnter the Fortnite experience
03 · Mobile qualifierMemeBallSee the mobile qualifier
The simple guest journey
From arrival to championship.
Every layer has one clear job. The room moves from a real story to a shared final without requiring every guest to begin on the same device.
Welcome
Guests meet BALL through a tablet, kiosk, connected display, or event page. BALL tells the story, speaks with the room, delivers approved trivia, and opens the experience.
Enter
Guests use a QR code or approved registration flow to review event information and enter the first challenge.
Qualify
MemeBall creates a fast mobile scoring round that allows many guests to participate using their phones.
Compete
Top players advance to Don’t Drop the Ball for managed Fortnite matches, qualifying rounds, or a live championship final.
Celebrate
The final becomes a moment the room can follow, with recognition, approved prizes, content moments, or premium talent engagement based on scope.
Not every activation requires every layer. GAME 5 BALL LIVE can begin with BALL, mobile participation, or a digital competition and expand into a fully produced championship experience.
Experience BALL live
The ball can speak for itself.
BALL is a voice-enabled AI character built from the history, personality, and competitive energy of the Game 5 Ball.
Welcome the roomTell the storyDeliver triviaIntroduce challengesGuide next actions
Inside a live room01 02 03
Explore the complete BALL intelligence platformRecognize the momentTell the story with approved context.
Read the energyChallenge, welcome, or redirect the audience.
Move the roomGuide guests toward play, participation, or the next action.
Live intelligence ready
Live intelligence ready
Press once, then speak naturally. BALL waits through a short pause before responding.
No microphone needed
Live transcript
Your conversation will appear here after BALL responds.
BALL is an artificial intelligence experience featuring an authorized voice performance by Tyrese Gibson. Generated responses may vary. Tyrese Gibson is not personally participating unless separately approved and contracted.
The flagship competitive experience
Don’t Drop the Ball.
History enters a playable world. The room plays for the right to hold the ball when the clock runs out.Enter the complete Fortnite experienceThe flagship competitive experience
The room plays for the championship.
Led by Scottie Pippen, Don’t Drop the Ball takes players back to June 12, 1991, when Chicago defeated Los Angeles in Game 5 of the NBA Finals to win its first championship. Now inside Fortnite, 2 to 16 players battle to control the game ball. Hold it the longest in 10 minutes to win.
Fortnite island code8996-5981-8979
The entire room does not need to download Fortnite at the door. Mobile participation can narrow the field before finalists move to managed Fortnite stations and a shared championship screen.
Official Season One trailerVisit BALL on Fortnite
Direct game accessScan to play MemeBallOpens the playable web game directlyIllustrative event leaderboard
- 01PLAYER 331,991
- 02THE CLOSER1,842
- 03FINAL RUN1,806
MemeBall mobile qualifier
The fastest way to get the room playing.
Guests scan, play, post a score, and compete for a place in the next round. MemeBall creates a fast entry point for the room while the live program builds toward the championship.
- A mobile basketball qualifier
- A quick score-based challenge
- Broad participation without a large hardware footprint
- A leaderboard and tournament-entry layer
- Repeat play before, during, or after an event
ScanPlayPostQualify
Include the mobile qualifierThree ways to activate
Start with the right footprint.
Choose the participation model that fits the audience, room, and production window. Every format begins with a written scope.
Format 01Mobile-first live experience
Best forCorporate events, hospitality programs, receptions, and conventions
- BALL on a tablet, kiosk, or display
- QR-based guest entry
- MemeBall mobile qualifier
- Managed finalist stations
- Shared championship screen
- Host and technical operator based on scope
A low-friction format that uses guest phones for broad participation and concentrates production around the final.
Request this formatFormat 02Produced championship experience
Best forLarge audiences, brand activations, conferences, festivals, and premium hospitality
- Custom arrival and registration
- BALL as AI host or co-host
- Mobile qualification
- Scheduled Fortnite rounds
- Four to sixteen managed stations
- Host, production, audience display, and winner recognition
A live tournament program built to become a central event moment.
Request this formatFormat 03Digital or broadcast experience
Best forRemote teams, webinars, digital conferences, online communities, and multi-market audiences
- BALL as digital host or co-host
- Remote trivia and challenges
- MemeBall mobile participation
- Scheduled Fortnite competition
- Livestream or digital final
- Approved rewards and winner recognition
A digital-first format that can connect audiences across markets without one physical venue.
Request this format
Founder & Steward
Scottie Pippen can elevate select programs.
Naismith Hall of Famer · Six-Time ChampionA separately scoped extension may include hosting, opening remarks, a fireside conversation, winner recognition, a meet-and-greet, approved content, media activity, or signed-item moments.
Scottie Pippen’s participation, scheduling, travel, hospitality, likeness, content, promotion, usage rights, and deliverables require separate approval, scope, pricing, and agreement.What the live footprint requires
Built to start light and scale with the room.
- One approved tablet, kiosk, or display for BALL
- Guest phones for MemeBall participation
- QR entry or registration flow
- A small number of managed finalist stations
- One shared venue screen
- Reliable internet
- Host and technical operator based on scope
- Multiple managed competition stations
- Controllers and approved player accounts
- Stage, screens, sound, and event lighting
- Tournament operations
- Guest registration support
- Livestream or content capture when included
- Winner presentation
- Premium talent when separately approved
GAME 5 BALL LIVE can work with existing venue screens, guest phones, and approved equipment. The final production plan assigns technology, staffing, venue, connectivity, travel, rewards, and content responsibilities through a written scope.
What The BALL Foundation providesA defined activation system, not a loose collection of assets.
Custom activation concept
Approved BALL AI configuration
Guest journey and tournament format
Run-of-show and technical planning
Game and tournament operations included in the final scope
Creative direction
Partner measurement framework
Post-activation recap when included
Venue, hardware, audiovisual production, connectivity, staffing, travel, rewards, content capture, premium talent, paid media, and third-party creator participation are assigned through the final written scope.
The value engine
History creates attention. Participation makes it useful.
The experience is designed around observable guest movement, not unsupported promises.
History
A one-of-one championship story earns attention.
BALL
The AI character welcomes guests and starts the conversation.
Play
Mobile and Fortnite challenges turn attention into participation.
Competition
Qualifying rounds create anticipation and a shared final.
Reward
Approved recognition or prizes create a reason to act.
Recap
The partner receives agreed participation signals, content links, and reporting.
A real championship story gives people a reason to stop.
AI, mobile play, and Fortnite give the audience a reason to engage.
Approved registration, challenges, rewards, and partner actions create measurable participation.
Gameplay, reactions, winner moments, and approved clips can extend the event.
The partner receives the agreed participation and action signals available within the scope.
Optional amplificationApproved creator, streamer, social, and media amplification can be scoped around select campaigns to extend gameplay, challenges, clips, and winner moments beyond the live room. Participation and deliverables are confirmed individually and are not automatic.
Measurement can include
RegistrationsBALL interaction startsApproved AI engagement signalsMemeBall entriesCompleted qualifiersFortnite match participationFinalist activityQR actionsReward claims when includedContent linksGuest feedbackPartner-defined next actions
Final results depend on the approved format, audience participation, promotion, production, rewards, technology, and partner support. No audience, revenue, social, conversion, or attendance result is guaranteed.
Use cases
One story. Multiple live formats.
Corporate events
Employee engagement, client entertainment, retreats, leadership programs, and closing-night competition.
Premium hospitality
VIP programs, executive entertainment, private groups, sports weekends, and curated guest experiences.
Conventions and fan events
A participation engine for booths, stages, fan zones, scheduled tournaments, and winner moments.
Brand activations
Custom challenges, approved rewards, product discovery, creator-supported competition, and measurable actions.
Digital events
BALL as co-host, mobile participation, remote tournaments, and livestream championship moments.
Fundraising and community
Select programs may combine approved storytelling, competition, and charitable objectives with separate legal and production review.
Proof and authority
Built from the real thing.
Direct provenance. A functioning AI character. Two playable competition layers. Public launch evidence and selected independent coverage.
Scottie Pippen’s direct custody connects the live platform to the original championship artifact.
View the provenance recordVisitors can speak with BALL on this page, view MemeBall gameplay, and watch the official Don’t Drop the Ball trailer.
Experience BALLCombined views across official launch posts within the first week
Combined public view counts captured August 23, 2026.Inside Scottie Pippen’s new Fortnite game.
Read the coverageScottie Pippen brings championship history and culture to Fortnite.
Read the coverageStrategic and licensing extension
The live experience is one part of a larger platform.
GAME 5 BALL LIVE is built from a protected cultural property that already extends across artifact stewardship, artificial intelligence, gaming, media, digital experiences, and live competition. Select partners may explore longer-term activation, licensing, location, technology, and storytelling opportunities through a separate strategic conversation.
Request an activation
Build the first GAME 5 BALL LIVE experience.
Tell us the audience, environment, timing, and outcome. The BALL Foundation will recommend the strongest format, production footprint, and next step.
01 · Audience02 · Environment03 · Outcome04 · Scope
What happens next01 02 03
Book a 30-minute conversationYou can submit the brief before scheduling a call.Private reviewYour brief is reviewed against audience, rights, production, and technical needs.
Recommended formatYou receive the clearest starting footprint for the room and objective.
Defined next stepScope, timing, responsibilities, and approvals are made clear before production.
Clear answers
What buyers need to know.
What is GAME 5 BALL LIVE?
A paid live or digital experience built around the actual game-used ball from Chicago’s first championship, combining an AI character, mobile competition, Fortnite gameplay, hosting, and optional premium extensions.
Does Scottie Pippen attend every event?
No. Scottie Pippen’s participation is a premium, separately approved and contracted extension.
Does the physical Game 5 Ball appear at every event?
No. The physical artifact remains protected. Any physical exhibition requires separate approval, security, insurance, custody, logistics, and agreement.
Do all guests need Fortnite?
No. A program can use BALL and MemeBall for broad participation, then move selected finalists to managed Fortnite stations.
How many people can participate?
The format can be structured for private groups or larger audiences. Don’t Drop the Ball supports 2 to 16 players per match. Overall capacity depends on the number of rounds, stations, program window, and production scope.
Can the experience be digital?
Yes. BALL can support digital hosting, MemeBall can create mobile participation, and Fortnite competition can be presented through a remote or livestream format.
Can a brand customize the experience?
Selected visual, challenge, reward, content, and program elements may be customized subject to creative, platform, technical, legal, and rights approval.
Are prizes included?
Prizes, gift cards, signed items, fundraising, sweepstakes, and reward mechanics are separately approved and included only when stated in the final scope and official rules.
Is this an official Epic Games experience?
No. Don’t Drop the Ball is an independently created Fortnite island and is not sponsored, endorsed, or administered by Epic Games, Inc.